Communications applications are available for enabling users to have conversations in which synchronous, real-time communication is occurring between parties. For example, conversations have traditionally been held over telephones, though telephone conversation capability has been extended through conference calling, video conferencing, and multiple party conversations via voice over IP (VoIP).
In addition to telephone, conversations have come to include text-based forms of real-time communication such as instant messaging and group chat. In these approaches, two or more users exchange text messages that are transmitted and read by all users. The users participate in an exchange of messages that occurs synchronously for all users. In this way, synchronous text-based conversations can differ from communications such as email in which the parties are not in synchronous, real-time communication, but exchange messages over extended periods of time.
Network-based meetings are also performed online in which one party shares a computer desktop or application with one or more other parties over a network connection. In this way, all meeting participants are able to view a common presentation and interact to exchange ideas. A meeting can be any type of collaboration session, including those in which each participant can speak to the other participants or exchange text messages, for example.
Typically, different applications can be used for conversations and meetings. Oftentimes, a different application is used for each different type of conversation, for example, an instant messaging application for texting and a separate VoIP application for voice conversations over IP networks. Additionally, instant messaging, chat threads, and recorded VoIP conversations can be saved for future reference. However, it can be difficult, for example, for a user to organize the various conversation applications and locate saved conversations in addition to managing a separate meeting application. Furthermore, it can be difficult, for example, for a user to restore lost communications and associated context for different types of conversations and meetings. It is with respect to these and other considerations that improvements are needed.